At least 15 of the 18 individuals who were reportedly abducted by Pakistani security forces in Turbat, the main city of Balochistan’s Kech district, have been released, local sources said on Thursday.
Sources reported that in the early hours of 5 June, security forces raided homes in the Koshk Malikabad area and detained 18 people, including Hammal Imam and Hamid Mahmood. The individuals were taken from one house and nearby residences.
According to family members, 15 of the detainees were released on personal surety around 4:00 PM on Thursday. However, three individuals—Hammal Imam Bakhsh, Hamid Mahmood, and an unidentified resident of Panjgur—remain in custody and are still missing.
Eight Forcibly Disappeared Individuals Released in Turbat and Barkhan
In a related development, eight individuals who had been detained by Pakistani forces under the pretext of investigation from various parts of Balochistan have also been released, according to local sources.
Reports from Turbat tehsil in Kech district confirmed the release of five previously disappeared persons. Those released include Daad, son of Abdul Hakeem, and Sadiq, son of Wajdad—both residents of Panjgur—as well as Sajid, son of Yar Muhammad; Akhtar, son of Quraish; and Nizam Fateh, son of Fateh Muhammad, all from Kech district.
Family members of the Panjgur residents had earlier staged a protest sit-in on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) highway near Balgatar, demanding their safe return.
Meanwhile, three men from Barkhan district—Ghulam Fareed, Abdullah, and Tahir—have also reappeared. The three had been missing for the past four months following their arrest by Pakistani forces.
No further details have been released by authorities about their detention or the conditions of their release.